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Is Type 2 Diabetes Reversible?

S

StephenD

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I have just recently (in the last week) been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. My GP has prescribed insulin but I have failed to take these. I have heard through friends that typ2 diabetes is reversible. Is this the case or should I just continue on with the injections.
 
Depends on the cause. It is definitely controllable to lesser or greater extent depending on how committed you are. Can you provide a little more information as starting on insulin as type 2 is a little unusual.
 
What has been recommended is a Mediterranean type diet - has anyone any experience of this? I'd rather change my diet then be dependent on insulin.
 
I have had high blood sugar for some time and told I have had type 1 diabetes - it is only in the last week have I been told I need to take insulin (as its progressed to type 2!)
 
IMO T2 symptoms of high bloog glucose levels reversible, but the underlying hormonal problem causing T2 is not reversible. For me this means that if I take my eye of the ball and start overeating or I stop my meds, I will get symptoms again and my blood tests will say I have T2.

@andcol is right in that insulin at diagnosis is unusual, but it may be a good option in some situations. There is more info about this at the link in my signature. I would recommend working closely with your diabetes nurse (DN) if starting on insulin. If you give us a bit more info we can help better.
 
StephenD said:
I have had high blood sugar for some time and told I have had type 1 diabetes - it is only in the last week have I been told I need to take insulin (as its progressed to type 2!)
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Did you mean you have had T2 and now it is T1? You really need to ask these questions of your doctor and nurse in the first instance. After that we can share ideas from our experiences but we can't give medical advice. What was your HbA1c test result?
 
StephenD said:
I have had high blood sugar for some time and told I have had type 1 diabetes - it is only in the last week have I been told I need to take insulin (as its progressed to type 2!)
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You is or you ain't .... you're either a T1 or a T2. There is NO transition between types. Impossible
 
StephenD said:
I have had high blood sugar for some time and told I have had type 1 diabetes - it is only in the last week have I been told I need to take insulin (as its progressed to type 2!)
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This must be a misunderstanding on your part. Type 1 Diabetes does not 'progress' to Type 2.
 
You need to be very clear on which type of Diabetes you have. If T1 then you need to take your insulin (it would help if you could give tne name/s) and if you are T2 you still need to take the insulin while you formulate a plan of action to i prove your health.
 
T1 and T2 are completely different conditions. T1 can't produce insulin. T2 do produce insulin but we don't use it properly.

I am T2 and was diagnosed with a high HbA1c of 122. My DN threatened me with insulin. I thought bu**er that and hit LCHF with a vengeance.

If you are T2 and can kickstart your pacreas you might be able to reverse it.
 
Some people who later turn out to have one of the less common types of diabetes are initially misdiagnosed as T2 then they are found to have a rapid deterioration and need insulin, and a GP might make the mistake of saying they are T1 or saying it is "like" T1 and the patient initially misunderstands, especially if they are in psychological shock at the news and/or suffering hyperglycaemic brain fog (which I have experienced).

I've never heard of someone being diagnosed T1 then T2 so I assumed it was a typo.

I think until we know the A1c or a fasting BG we are in the dark here.
 
I have been diagnosed same as you just recently and i am only prescribed medication such as glucolizade so unsure why you need insulin??
 
Australiadiabetic2 said:
I have been diagnosed same as you just recently and i am only prescribed medication such as glucolizade so unsure why you need insulin??
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There's plenty of T2s that need insulin support. There's many that don't. It just depends on the persons physiology. Unfortunately, diabetes is definitely not generic.
 
Australiadiabetic2 said:
I have been diagnosed same as you just recently and i am only prescribed medication such as glucolizade so unsure why you need insulin??
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It depends on several factors such as the A1c level and other medical conditions that place the person at high risk of complications if they don't get their BGs down fast. I'm talking about a very small number of people with potentially life-threatening medical issues.

Most T2s on insulin have tried or couldn't safely be prescribed Metformin, Gliclazide and other first or second line medication options. Insulin is usually seen as a third line medication option. It's unusual for it to be prescribed at diagnosis, but not completely unheard of in various countries.
 
A Mediterranean diet is a pretty vague description of how to eat - as a type two I could list the types of foods I avoid and give my carb intake down to the gram - but I firstly don't want to end up like my grandmother,who died dreadfully, secondly want to avoid giving the Dr any excuse to prescribe medication, and thirdly I find that the way I feel is equivalent to myHba1c expressed in years - so any sort of bread - any cereal at all really, would not feature in my menu. Nothing high carb seems to be good for me but I'd far and away prefer to have the lighter carb things such as salads or the above ground veges rather than stodge.
 
I was insulin dependent T2 but stopped just after 13 days on insulin injections when my blood glucose levels normalised.

Yes you can go into remission but not reversal.

If your HBA1c goes down between 20-29, that is reversal but it’s very rare.
 

NewTD2 - Where do you take your A1c of between 20-29 to indicate revesal from? That's certainly the first time I have seen that range state.
 
DCUKMod said:
NewTD2 - Where do you take your A1c of between 20-29 to indicate revesal from? That's certainly the first time I have seen that range state.
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I don't think you can call that reversal. You eat more carbs, your BG rises
 
Jenny15 said:
It's unusual for it to be prescribed at diagnosis, but not completely unheard of in various countries.
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That happened to me when my otherwise conveniently forgotten diagnosis of T2 was 'rediscovered' when admitted for other reasons (see my sig). I was prescribed victoza and insulin at the same time. Luckily I rarely saw the same doc twice, and one of them didn't agree with my being on both meds, and took me off the insulin, so yes, you're right. It does happen.
 
DCUKMod said:
NewTD2 - Where do you take your A1c of between 20-29 to indicate revesal from? That's certainly the first time I have seen that range state.
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It was actually mentioned to me by my Endocrinologist during my health review
 
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